Piet Wiersma celebrated by raising his hands in triumph after becoming the first person from outside of South Africa to cross the finish line of the 2024 Comrades Marathon.
The 26-year-old Dutch runner crossed the line in 5:24:56.
After coming in second place in 2023, Wiersma vowed to come back stronger this year and was a fan favourite throughout the marathon.
He claimed that when the race was initially proceeding so slowly, he became concerned.
Hours of training in Kenya
“It really felt pedestrian, like I was running a training run, but then I knew it was too early to make my move,” said Wiersma.
“I knew that all the important guys were around me, so let me just save my energy and stay with the group.
“Once I reached Umhlanga, I knew that I could now push. I felt strong on the hills; it must be the hours of training I did in Kenya. So yeah, it was a good race.”
South African Dan Moselakwe came in second place, and Ethiopian Degefa Lafebo took the third spot.
Gerda Steyn was the first woman to cross the finish line, setting a new course record. Steyn finished the race in 5:49:46.
The South African has had a successful year and is the current record holder of the Comrades uprun and downrun distances.
More than 20 000 athletes took part in this year’s 85.91km marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
The marathon started outside Durban City Hall early on Sunday morning.
Record-breaking prize money
This year’s race slogan, ‘No Doubt – Nakanjani’, is a tribute to the Comrades athletes’ firm belief in the power, stature, and attraction of the world’s biggest, oldest, and most loved ultramarathon.
The Comrades Marathon Association announced a record-breaking increase in prize money for this year’s Ultimate Human Race.
The total prize money has increased by an astounding R1 364 000 to a total of R4 092 000.
This includes the R50 000 Hot Spot award offered to the first man and woman through the Cell C Hot Spot located in Cato Ridge, as well as numerous additional cash prizes.
Below is what the top five athletes have won, both women and men:
- R825 000
- R412 500
- R297 000
- R148 500
- R115 500
What bad journalism. Riddled with mistakes:
– Wiersma was not first international to win Comrades. Your ambigious intro also seems to suggest that a Saffa finished ahead of him because he was the first international. Just get your facts rights.
– The race definitely doesn’t go through Umhlanga. If it did, the winner would have been horribly lost.
– you intro is about the Dutch male but yet the winning women is a South african hero admired by millions but barely gets a mention.
Whoever wrote this story needs to find another job.